Bark louder than their bite: Dogshaming craze takes off

Dog owners are finally getting their revenge for all the chewed-up loafers, mangled newspapers and surprise toilet treats on the front lawn.

On a new Tumblr page, Dogshaming, owners are posting photos of their misbehaving canine companions standing next to signs that explain their naughty behaviour.

Since it was launched less than a week ago, the blog has been flooded with entries from owners and their unsuspecting pets. The website states that "submitted posts must contain a dog and a sign explaining the dog's crimes".

The first entry was of an underwear-eating sausage dog, which has since been followed by a rubbish-munching collie and a pug that digs up the garden. Another friendly face has a tendency to steal butter behind his owner's back, while several dogs are a little too keen on feline faeces.

Speaking of felines, cat owners have jumped on the pet-shaming bandwagon too, with pictures of cats on the site including one called Panda Boo, accompanied by the sign "I ate all the string cheese".

The owner of the blog, who remains anonymous, responded to complaints about shaming dogs online with the following post:

"I welcome constructive criticism, but please don’t bother sending me a 'You're a terrible person for shaming your dogs! These are learned behaviours from irresponsible dog owners'. I know, I get it, we're all terrible people. Shaming people for shaming dogs is a tad ironic, no? don't waste your breath."

In another sign that August could soon be declared International Pet Month, the Good Dog! Film Festival was held in Balmain, Sydney, over the weekend, featuring an impressive array of documentaries, shorts and feature films.